Crime Solutions
Evaluation of Models of Good Practice and Guidance for the Internet Industry on Chat Services, Instant Messaging and Web Based Services
The aim of this research was to evaluate the Models of Good Practice and Guidance for the Internet Industry on Chat Services, Instant Messaging and Web Based Services. The Models – developed by the Home Office Task Force for Child Protection and published in January 2003 – were designed to establish recommended practice for the protection of children and other potentially vulnerable users of the Internet.
Title: Evaluation of Models of Good Practice and Guidance for the Internet Industry on Chat Services, Instant Messaging and Web Based Services
Authors: Lorraine Sheridan and Julian Boon
Number of pages: 164
Date published: November 2004
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Key findings
93% of the online sample felt that the benefits of using the Internet outweighed any potential dangers
Zero teachers and 7% of parents felt that the Internet had become more dangerous for children during 2003
Under 12% of frequent users of chat, IM and web pages felt that safety levels had decreased between January 2003 and January 2004
The majority of regular chatters (82%) felt that safety tools and advice were clearer, more widespread and more accessible compared with 2003, whilst just 42% of regular IM users felt this was the case for IM–specific items
Regular chat and IM users were generally found to be utilising safety tools recommended by the Models and finding them helpful
Ignore and block features were the most familiar safety tool for parents and children
Under half of parents and teachers felt their knowledge of the Internet had increased between 2003 and 2004, compared with 62% of childen
The online sample indicated IM as the service least likely to culminate in uncomfortable incidents (15%), and chat as the most likely (40%)
Half the sample of Moderators had suspected potential child abusers of being on their sites. Difficulties in ascertaining intent of over-age chatters was also highlighted
Results of a desk-based audit of ISPs indicated generally high levels of concordance with Model specific recommendations
Safety tools and advice were most widely available within IM services (96% of majority positive recordings) followed by chat services (74%)
The desk-based audit also noted a significant lack of safety information and tools offered by connectivity and hosting providers (25%)
Quantitative data obtained from the interviews with ISP Senior Managers indicated a high level of baseline concordance with Model recommendations (67%) and this was highest with regards to the Model on chat (78%). Despite this Model impact was still moderate (18%) and appeared to have most influence on IM services (28%)
A minority of children (9%) self-reported that they had been made to feel threatened, uncomfortable or vulnerable while using chat rooms
Parents tended to make lower estimates of their children's usage of Internet services than did their children, whilst teachers tended to make higher estimates
A majority of parents (65%) believed their children to possess higher than average Internet skills
Children used safety tools and features more frequently than their parents estimations, and the vast majority of young people viewed the tools positively
Parents did not possess high levels of Internet safety knowledge and rarely helped their children use web safety tools and features. They also requested safety tools and features that were already commonplace, underlining a need for education
Children demonstrated sound safety knowledge, advising that other children should enjoy using the Internet but exercise caution
Parents gleaned most of their safety information from the media and believed their children to obtain theirs from school. In contrast, children reported receiving most of their knowledge from parents and the media
Online users, ISP Senior Managers and Moderators all saw education and increasing awareness as the most effective and enduring means of promoting safe Internet usage, particularly via the media and in schools
Generally, a lack of education and parental responsibility was felt to be the primary cause of child Internet safety problems
The majority of ISP Senior Managers sampled were aware of the Guidelines
Resistance to Model recommendations among the Managers was low
Whilst some Managers acknowledged the costs associated with implementing the Models, none felt that the net effects on business were negative
Concerns were raised regarding dissemination: Managers felt that some of the companies not involved in their development may have not seen the Models
The majority of Managers familiar with the Models viewed their impact as having been mainly positive - striking a 'reasonable' to 'perfect' balance between industry and user needs
Managers reported the primary positive consequence of the Models to be an increased public and industry awareness
Inhibiting factors identified included lack of familiarity with the Guidelines, financial constraints, and an opinion that the Models were sometimes too specific or irrelevant to the services offered
Moderator familiarity with the Models was generally lacking
Baseline concordance with the recommendation to screen Moderators was low but it did appear that the Models were aiding a shift towards screening
Moderators in general perceived that user access to Internet safety advice improved during 2003, as had user and Moderator safety awareness
Last update: Friday, September 05, 2008